MyBookCASE - Three Literary Experiences That Were Significant to My Development as a Reader/Writer
Experiences:
1. My grandmother read to me every single day as a child.
2. Discovering my first favorite book.
3. The first time I was truly engaged in English class with a text.
Experience 1:
When I was young, my grandmother babysat me every day while my parents were at work. Each morning, she would read about 10 books to me. Before long, I had quite the collection of books going, and from the very start, I LOVED to read. I attribute much of my success as a reader and writer, and much of the reason why I chose English Language Arts as a profession, to my grandmother and her diligence in reading to me. I could talk by the time I was 10 months old, and before long was formulating full sentences and talking in full conversation with adults. My language from the beginning was quite advanced, and again, I have my grandmother and her persistence in reading to me to thank for that. I never once struggled with language in school. There were times when I struggled with other subjects, like math or science, but never once did I struggle with language, words, spelling, or anything ELA-related. Now I was certainly challenged, because I had excellent teachers growing up, but I never really struggled. Language always came second nature to me, and I never lost my zeal for anything ELA-related. Looking back at my own success, I can testify to the fact that reading to young children helps them in all areas of development, especially in regards to language, speech, and reading. My firm belief is that children should be read to, and often, from a very young age. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and caretakers should read to children any chance they get. And children should also be encouraged to read on their own as early and as often as possible. Again, I cannot stress enough how thankful I am that my grandmother read to me so often. She had a variety of books and I'm not kidding when I say we read every single day for hours on end. I just would not let her put the books down, and she never gave in. She must have known the importance that reading would have on my development and future success as a student. I always received good grades in school, especially in language arts, but even in the subjects that didn't come as easily for me. In my own home some day, when I have children, I intend to read to them as much as I possibly can. I will also allow them freedom to choose what they want to read. For the most part, I picked the books I wanted to read growing up, and it helped me hone in on my interests. I was roped in by my initial interest, but was taught by the language and content within.
Exerience 2:
When I was in fourth grade, our teacher made us go to the library every week and pick out a new book to read. We would read the book at home, at certain "quiet times" (or DEAR, Drop Everything and Read), and whenever we would finish class work early, etc. I always enjoyed these trips to the library, but one day something monumental happened, and it changed my life forever. One day I was aimlessly skimming the shelves, when I stumbled across a smooth-looking chapter book titled "Stepping on the Cracks" by Mary Downing Hahn. I started reading, and instantly fell in love with the story, the plot, and everything about this book. I will never forget how into it I was; I would read this thing at every little chance I got! I read it during school, after school, at home, in the car, and pretty much wherever and whenever I could. I considered the characters my own friends. I laughed with them an cried with them, and every adventure they went on, I felt like I was right there with them! It was an incredible experience, something I had never truly had before. I must have read that book 3 or 4 times; I just kept renewing it and renewing it. It also happened to be right around the time when my grandmother passed away, and I remember taking that book with me to New Jersey for her funeral and clinging to it for dear life as if it would provide some sort of escape or relief from the sadness around me. And to this day, I know that it definitely did. When I think back on my childhood, my love of reading began with that book. Until then I hadn't experienced the true richness that reading can provide. I hadn't escaped to another world on the pages, I hadn't met my favorite character-friends or explored the world of imagination with them. But when I did, when I opened that book, I opened a new world, one that I have enjoyed reveling in ever since. From this experience, I conclude that children should be introduced to texts - lots of them, and often. They should experience a wide variety of literature and should be free to explore the shelves of the library. Children should discover what they like and what they don't like, and they should be allowed to read for fun. They should be encouraged that the world of literature is a safe and exciting place for them to explore, and they can be themselves without ridicule. When a child finds his own interest in the types of literature he wants to read, that can help open his mind to reading and the language arts in general. If the child is not intimidated, but rather encouraged and enticed by literature, they will want to learn more and more, aside from the fact that reading in general has benefits way beyond the study of ELA.
Experience 3:
When I was in 8th grade, we read "To Kill a Mockingbird" in my reading class. My teacher, who will always be one of my favorites, loved the text and she loved what she did. She brought passion and energy to class, but was very real and down-to-earth with us. She treated us like adults, and she talked to us like we were adults. When we began reading "To Kill a Mockingbird", we began studying it by discussing it in class. I had done this before, but never to the extent or with the same purpose as in this class. She really directed our conversations, and she really pushed us to think critically about the text and why we were reading it. We were given guided reading questions to complete on our own, and we discussed these and so much more in class. Our class felt more like a book club - people were sharing their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences as we read and it helped bring the text to life for me. When I walked into that class, I felt like I was walking into my own home - a place where I was safe and free to explore and express myself, and a place where others shared their own lives with me. In that class, even though we were all different, we had the common ground of the text to stand upon, and that alone made us equals, if nothing else. We were challenged and provoked not only by our teacher, which was crucial, but also by each other. This unique experience has stuck with me my whole life, and someday I hope to create that same kind of atmosphere in my own classroom. A student may never "get into" a text on their own, but the teacher has the responsibility, and unique opportunity, to help bring it to life for the student and help them to see just how rich it can be. Class discussion in a literary classroom is so important, and it is something I will make essential in my own class someday. I don't see any better way to engage all of my students; to reach the farthest one and to engage the closest, to bring all the different walks of life together on the common ground that we are all diving into the text together in hopes of coming out better people. That's why I want to do this; if I reach even one life in the way that I was once reached by my teachers, I will be the happiest person alive!
Summary: Key practices essential to ELA
Child-centered pedagogy (allow the students, to a certain degree, to choose what they read and how class is conducted)
Diversity! (a wide variety of literature, a wide variety of teaching methods, as to reach all the different learning styles or multiple intelligences)
Discussion (HUGE! In my mind, this is the best way to engage each student, making sure the classroom environment is safe, free, challenging, and imaginative)
Journaling (this is a way for students to convince themselves that they are engaging with the text - a totally free environment where they can express whatever though they please, whether they hate a book or love it)
READ READ READ! (the more we get our students reading, the better off they will be. Period.)
Critical thinking and connection-making (guided reading, essay-writing, response to class, teacher, and self-prompted questions, etc. - Anything that will get our students to think beyond the "here and now" and make connections to themselves, the world around them, other texts, other subects, etc. Our students need to make any and all connections possible in order for learning to stick and have true meaning.)
WRITE WRITE WRITE! (journaling, blogging, twitter posts, annotating, essay-writing, short-answer, etc. - Anything that will put their pens on their paper and get them to flesh out their thoughts in formed words and sentences. This will help them develop their language skills as well as help their overall thinking skills)
Experiences:
1. My grandmother read to me every single day as a child.
2. Discovering my first favorite book.
3. The first time I was truly engaged in English class with a text.
Experience 1:
When I was young, my grandmother babysat me every day while my parents were at work. Each morning, she would read about 10 books to me. Before long, I had quite the collection of books going, and from the very start, I LOVED to read. I attribute much of my success as a reader and writer, and much of the reason why I chose English Language Arts as a profession, to my grandmother and her diligence in reading to me. I could talk by the time I was 10 months old, and before long was formulating full sentences and talking in full conversation with adults. My language from the beginning was quite advanced, and again, I have my grandmother and her persistence in reading to me to thank for that. I never once struggled with language in school. There were times when I struggled with other subjects, like math or science, but never once did I struggle with language, words, spelling, or anything ELA-related. Now I was certainly challenged, because I had excellent teachers growing up, but I never really struggled. Language always came second nature to me, and I never lost my zeal for anything ELA-related. Looking back at my own success, I can testify to the fact that reading to young children helps them in all areas of development, especially in regards to language, speech, and reading. My firm belief is that children should be read to, and often, from a very young age. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and caretakers should read to children any chance they get. And children should also be encouraged to read on their own as early and as often as possible. Again, I cannot stress enough how thankful I am that my grandmother read to me so often. She had a variety of books and I'm not kidding when I say we read every single day for hours on end. I just would not let her put the books down, and she never gave in. She must have known the importance that reading would have on my development and future success as a student. I always received good grades in school, especially in language arts, but even in the subjects that didn't come as easily for me. In my own home some day, when I have children, I intend to read to them as much as I possibly can. I will also allow them freedom to choose what they want to read. For the most part, I picked the books I wanted to read growing up, and it helped me hone in on my interests. I was roped in by my initial interest, but was taught by the language and content within.
Exerience 2:
When I was in fourth grade, our teacher made us go to the library every week and pick out a new book to read. We would read the book at home, at certain "quiet times" (or DEAR, Drop Everything and Read), and whenever we would finish class work early, etc. I always enjoyed these trips to the library, but one day something monumental happened, and it changed my life forever. One day I was aimlessly skimming the shelves, when I stumbled across a smooth-looking chapter book titled "Stepping on the Cracks" by Mary Downing Hahn. I started reading, and instantly fell in love with the story, the plot, and everything about this book. I will never forget how into it I was; I would read this thing at every little chance I got! I read it during school, after school, at home, in the car, and pretty much wherever and whenever I could. I considered the characters my own friends. I laughed with them an cried with them, and every adventure they went on, I felt like I was right there with them! It was an incredible experience, something I had never truly had before. I must have read that book 3 or 4 times; I just kept renewing it and renewing it. It also happened to be right around the time when my grandmother passed away, and I remember taking that book with me to New Jersey for her funeral and clinging to it for dear life as if it would provide some sort of escape or relief from the sadness around me. And to this day, I know that it definitely did. When I think back on my childhood, my love of reading began with that book. Until then I hadn't experienced the true richness that reading can provide. I hadn't escaped to another world on the pages, I hadn't met my favorite character-friends or explored the world of imagination with them. But when I did, when I opened that book, I opened a new world, one that I have enjoyed reveling in ever since. From this experience, I conclude that children should be introduced to texts - lots of them, and often. They should experience a wide variety of literature and should be free to explore the shelves of the library. Children should discover what they like and what they don't like, and they should be allowed to read for fun. They should be encouraged that the world of literature is a safe and exciting place for them to explore, and they can be themselves without ridicule. When a child finds his own interest in the types of literature he wants to read, that can help open his mind to reading and the language arts in general. If the child is not intimidated, but rather encouraged and enticed by literature, they will want to learn more and more, aside from the fact that reading in general has benefits way beyond the study of ELA.
Experience 3:
When I was in 8th grade, we read "To Kill a Mockingbird" in my reading class. My teacher, who will always be one of my favorites, loved the text and she loved what she did. She brought passion and energy to class, but was very real and down-to-earth with us. She treated us like adults, and she talked to us like we were adults. When we began reading "To Kill a Mockingbird", we began studying it by discussing it in class. I had done this before, but never to the extent or with the same purpose as in this class. She really directed our conversations, and she really pushed us to think critically about the text and why we were reading it. We were given guided reading questions to complete on our own, and we discussed these and so much more in class. Our class felt more like a book club - people were sharing their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences as we read and it helped bring the text to life for me. When I walked into that class, I felt like I was walking into my own home - a place where I was safe and free to explore and express myself, and a place where others shared their own lives with me. In that class, even though we were all different, we had the common ground of the text to stand upon, and that alone made us equals, if nothing else. We were challenged and provoked not only by our teacher, which was crucial, but also by each other. This unique experience has stuck with me my whole life, and someday I hope to create that same kind of atmosphere in my own classroom. A student may never "get into" a text on their own, but the teacher has the responsibility, and unique opportunity, to help bring it to life for the student and help them to see just how rich it can be. Class discussion in a literary classroom is so important, and it is something I will make essential in my own class someday. I don't see any better way to engage all of my students; to reach the farthest one and to engage the closest, to bring all the different walks of life together on the common ground that we are all diving into the text together in hopes of coming out better people. That's why I want to do this; if I reach even one life in the way that I was once reached by my teachers, I will be the happiest person alive!
Summary: Key practices essential to ELA
Child-centered pedagogy (allow the students, to a certain degree, to choose what they read and how class is conducted)
Diversity! (a wide variety of literature, a wide variety of teaching methods, as to reach all the different learning styles or multiple intelligences)
Discussion (HUGE! In my mind, this is the best way to engage each student, making sure the classroom environment is safe, free, challenging, and imaginative)
Journaling (this is a way for students to convince themselves that they are engaging with the text - a totally free environment where they can express whatever though they please, whether they hate a book or love it)
READ READ READ! (the more we get our students reading, the better off they will be. Period.)
Critical thinking and connection-making (guided reading, essay-writing, response to class, teacher, and self-prompted questions, etc. - Anything that will get our students to think beyond the "here and now" and make connections to themselves, the world around them, other texts, other subects, etc. Our students need to make any and all connections possible in order for learning to stick and have true meaning.)
WRITE WRITE WRITE! (journaling, blogging, twitter posts, annotating, essay-writing, short-answer, etc. - Anything that will put their pens on their paper and get them to flesh out their thoughts in formed words and sentences. This will help them develop their language skills as well as help their overall thinking skills)